United Kingdom. A Royal Air Force First Pattern Cap, Attributed To 2Nd Lieutenant Robert Hunter Byrom

This cap started out life as an Royal Naval Air Service cap and was subsequently used for early Royal Air Force duties. This fine quality peaked cap is fabricated from a khaki wool on the exterior, featuring the classic high peak. It has a 35 mm wide black band around its circumference, which supports the Royal Air Force insignia at the front. The insignia is composed of a gilt metal eagle, the open-ended wreath and King's crown in silver and gold-coloured bullion wire, maroon felt accent in the crown, along with touches of red, green and blue embroidery in the crown's base, on a padded black wool base, the insignia measuring 55 mm (w) x 65 mm (h). The stiff visor is covered in a black patent leather, with reinforced stitching along the edge and has a black patent leather strap with dual adjustable rectangular sliders that runs across the front between the black fabric posts on either side. The underside of the cap is in a forest green synthetic material. The 43 mm wide tan sweatband is leather, with the two ends sewn together with a white ribbon, in a bow-tied fashion at the rear and is named in handwritten black ink "B.H. Bryom." on the underside on the right side. The sidewalls are lined in a champagne-coloured rayon, with the dome itself lined in a champagne-coloured cotton, the fabric quilted and maker marked "ELLWOOD & SONS' Manufacture LONDON. / DAVIES BRYAN & Co. CAIRO & ALEXANDRIA. / MADE IN ENGLAND". Overall, the cap measures 250 mm in width x 265 mm in depth x 110 mm in height. It exhibits light soiling on the exterior, with gilt and silvering wear in the bullion on the RAF cap insignia, contact marks on the black patent visor and light crazing of it's green synthetic underside, along with light soiling and wear on the leather sweatband from active use. The stitching remains intact throughout. As worn.

Footnote: Robert Hunter Byrom was born in 1896. He initially enlisted with the Royal Naval Air Service, before it merged with Royal Flying Corps, to form the Royal Air Force on April 1, 1918. Flight Cadet Byrom was granted a temporary commission as a 2nd Lieutenant (Aeroplane and Seaplane Branch), effective July 27, 1918, the announcement appearing in the London Gazette 30953 of Tuesday, October 15, 1918, page 12127. Upon the ceasing of hostilities, 2nd Lieutenant Byrom was transferred to the Unemployment List, effective July 7, 1919, the announcement appearing in the London Gazette 31463 of Friday, July 18, 1919, page 9139. Byrom later went into business and set up his own company. He was in his mid-sixties and was the Chairman of Robert Byrom (Stalybridge) when he liquidated the company, the announcement appearing in the London Gazette 42097 of Tuesday, July 12, 1960, page 5030: "Robert Byrom (Stalybridge) Limited, At an Extraordinary General Meeting of the above named Company, duly convened, and: held at Clarence Mill, Stalybridge, in the county of Chester, on the 7th day of July 1960, the subjoined Special Resolution was duly passed: That the Company be wound up voluntarily, and that Mr. Donald Warburton, of 61 Brown Street, Manchester 2, be and he is hereby appointed Liquidator for the purpose of such winding-up. R. Hunter Byrom, Chairman". Byrom died on June 20, 1981, at the age of 85. Under the legal heading "Notices Under the Trustee Act 1925, s. 27", it was noted that he had been living at The Cottage, Landslowe Green, Mottram, via Hyde, Cheshire SK14 6SG when he passed away and that the lawyers were accepting challenges to the estate, the announcement appearing in the London Gazette 48700 of Friday, August 7, 1981, page 10321.